Ed Croswell scored a season-high 21 points and keyed a late 9-0 run to lift visiting Providence over Seton Hall 71-67 in both teams’ Big East opener Saturday afternoon in Newark, N.J.

Croswell’s three-point play tied the game at 57 and launched the decisive run for Providence (9-3, 1-0 Big East), which also got a career-high 24 points from Bryce Hopkins. Hopkins’ fast-break 3-pointer made it 60-57 and put the Friars up for good.

Seton Hall (7-5, 0-1) hung within five points in the final minutes despite a field-goal drought of 5:13. KC Ndefo’s layup broke the drought and cut the lead to 67-64, and Seton Hall got a block by Dre Davis and a bucket from Kadary Richmond to trim it to one.

But the Friars, who had a 20-14 edge in free-throw points, salted the game away at the foul line. Noah Locke added 10 points and four assists for Providence, which has won four straight. Hopkins had 10 rebounds.

Richmond scored a career-high 28 points and tied a career best with nine rebounds to carry Seton Hall. Ndefo added 11 points and three blocks.

After Alyn Breed’s jumper put the Friars up 22-20 with 9:14 until halftime, they couldn’t make a field goal for the next 7:21. Seton Hall capitalized with a 10-0 run that featured Richmond’s tough three-point play and Jamir Harris’ 3-pointer.

Hopkins ended Providence’s drought with a slam dunk at 1:53, but that was the last field goal the Friars would make. Richmond added one last bucket with 14 seconds left to put Seton Hall ahead 36-27 at halftime.

Richmond had 16 points, six rebounds and four assists in the half. Hopkins and Locke scored eight apiece for Providence.

The Friars scored 11 of the first 14 points of the second half to draw within 39-38, and a bit later, Croswell scored off a baseline out-of-bounds play to put Providence up 42-41.

Al-Amir Dawes and Richmond combined for a 7-2 Seton Hall swing that gave the Pirates their first lead in more than 10 minutes, 55-53, with 6:28 left before Providence’s late push.

–Field Level Media